Alex Singleton is part of the Daily Telegraph's leader-writing team and is a contributing editor at the Sunday Telegraph. You can visit his personal site and follow him on Twitter.

George Bush is right on offshore drilling

President Bush has called for the lifting of the ban on offshore oil drilling. This has not pleased those environmental campaigners who want energy policy firmly focussed on renewables, with fossil fuels phased out. The suggestion has also sparked criticism from Governor Schwarzenegger: he does not want drilling off the coast of California.

Yet President Bush's suggestion, backed by possible successor John McCain, is sensible. There are indeed legitimate environmental concerns about drilling, but there are also economic concerns about high energy prices and the reliance on oil imported from temperamental sources. Harnessing US oil resources, just as Britain has harnessed North Sea oil, is increasingly necessary.

Technological progress will eventually break the link between energy use and carbon emissions, but it is impractical in the near future to rely purely on renewable sources. Wind energy, for example, can be an important part of a country's energy mix, but it is on its own unable to guarantee a consistent supply of power.